By Yanki Farber
Amnesty Rarely Criticizes Anyone But Israel — Until Now
In a highly unusual move, Amnesty International, an organization known for its frequent and often disproportionate criticism of Israel, has issued a rare condemnation of another country: Iran.
Amnesty accused Iran of using cluster munitions in civilian areas in Israel during the recent war, a charge that stands out given the organization’s long-standing pattern of singling out Israel while downplaying or ignoring similar or worse abuses by its adversaries.
The organization, which has historically drawn sharp criticism for what many see as a biased and one-sided approach to Middle East conflicts, documented the use of banned cluster munitions in cities such as Rishon LeZion, Be’er Sheva, and Tel Aviv, calling it a “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”
In a public statement, Amnesty reported that “last month, Iranian forces fired ballistic missiles containing submunitions into populated residential areas in Israel.” The group said it had analyzed video footage and images confirming the use of these illegal weapons in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area on June 19.
“By using such weapons in or near populated residential areas, Iranian forces endangered civilian lives,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, a senior director at Amnesty International. “The deliberate use of inherently indiscriminate weapons by Iranian forces constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law.”
Cluster munitions explode in midair and scatter dozens of smaller bomblets over wide areas — many of which fail to detonate on impact, posing long-term danger especially to children.
While Amnesty’s recognition of Iran’s violations is welcome, many observers remain skeptical, noting that it takes extreme and undeniable cases for the organization to shift its focus away from its usual target — Israel. This rare statement only underscores how egregious Iran’s actions were, and how deeply entrenched Amnesty’s habitual bias against Israel continues to be.
